Crank-shaft



PATENT OFFICE..

GEORGE W. HARPER, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

(iRANK-SHAFT.

Specieation of Letters Eatent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

Application filed August 17, 1914. Serial No. 857,102.

To all fw hom it f/nay/ concern Be it known that I, GEORGE IV. HARPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland in the county of Cuyahoga `and State of hio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement 'in Crank-Shafts, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. j

This invention relates to improvements in crankshafts, and especially the crankshafts of internal combustion engines.

It is customary with certain types of engine lubricating systems, especially what is known as the forced feed system, to provide a passageway from substantially one end of the crankshaft to the other, and ports leading from this passageway to the various bearing surfaces, i. e., the portions forming the crankshaft bearings and the throws or crank pin portions, and thence to connect this passageway at one or a plurality of points to a source of lubricant under pressure, so that lubricant flowing through the passageway will pass out through the ports onto the several bearing surfaces.

This passageway through the crankshaft is made by drilling axial openings through the several alined bearing portions of the crankshaft and through the angularly displaced or off set crank pin portions, and thence drilling radially inward at various parts of the crankshaft to connect the ad.- jacent axial portions of the passageway. lt is then necessary to plug or otherwise close the ends of the axial openings and the outer ends of the radially disposed connecting openings. The forming of this irregular passageway through the crankshaft requires considerable time, and is quite er:- pensive. Furthermore, while very many different expediente have been proposed or tried out for closing the ends of the axial openings referred to', none have been satisfactory in all respects.

The main object of the invention is to form the passageway through the i crankshaft in such a way that more satisfactory lubrication is obtained, andl so `that the finished crankshaft is less expensive and easier to make than heretofore.

My invention may-be briefly summarized as i consisting in certain novel details of construction and combinations and arrange In the accompanying sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a side view of a portion of a 6-cylinder crankshaft embodying my invention, the middle portion of the crankshaft being removed; F ig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the crankshaft with parts in section; and F ig. 3 is a section substantially along the line 3-3 of F ig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 represents the crankshaft as a whole. This crankshaft is provided at its ends` with bearing portions 11 and between its ends with axial alined bearing portions 12 and with throws or crank pin portions 13, the number of the throwsor crank pin portions 13 depending `upon the number of cylinders of the engine for which the crankshaft is designed, and the number of bearing portions 12 depending on the construction of the engine. The offset crank pin pon tions 13 are connected to the adjacent bearing portions 11 and 12 by arms 14;, which are generally radially disposed, as shown in the drawing. As in the prior constructions, axial openings are drilled through the various axially disposed portions 11, 12 and .13 ofthe crankshaft, these axial openings being designated at 16.

One of the improvements of the present invention consists in the disposition of the openings which connect the adjacent axial openings 16. Instead of connecting adjacent openings 16 by drilling from outside points in a direction parallel with the surfaces or sides of the arms 14, z'. c., (radially in the event the arms 14 are radial), and thence plugging the outer ends of these connecting openings, I provide diagonal connecting openings 17 `said opening at its inner end is adjacent the end of one axial opening 16 and at its outer end is adjacent the end of the adjoining axial opening 16. In other words,

the :opening is drilled simply from one' by inserting the` V point of the drill diagonally into the end diameterthan the diameter of the openingv 16, and then fasten the tube into place, and at the saine time securely close the ends of the annular space between the tube and the wall of opening 16, preferably by expanding or spinning outwardly the ends of the tube.

In each of the several bearing portions 12 and crank pin portions 13, the tube extends from one end of-the passageway 16 to the other, and the ends of the tube are spun outwardly and are tightly fitted into slightly countersunk portions at the ends of the opening 16, as shown at 18a. In the two end bearingsthe tube preferably does not extend throughout the length of the opening 16, and while the inner ends of the tubes in these port-ions are spun outwardly into'the countersunk openings, as shown at 18a, the outer ends of the tube are preferably spun and tightly fitted into recesses or over internal shoulders, as shown at 18b at points between the ends ofthe bearing portions 11.

By this expedient there is formed in each of the several axial alined and off set portions of the crank shaft a shallow annular passageway 19, the middle portion of the opening 16, z'. e. the portion within the tube 18 being entirely open from end to end- Vhile as here shown theV tube is fastened in place and at the same time the ends of the annular space 19 are closed by expanding the ends of the tube, it will be obvious that other means of accomplishing this result may be resorted to, such as by soldering, brazing, or by means of screws or other fastening devices. Lubricant will pass outwardly from each of these annular passageways 19 on to the adjacent bearing surfaces through the usual outlet ports 19a, except watV those points where the lubricant is Vsupplied to the crankshaft passageway. course, where the lubricant is supplied by pipe Vconnections to the crankshaft passageway, usually at the end bearings and at one or more of the intermediate bearings 12, the lubricant will pass inwardly through the ports 19a.

Thisprovides a construction which is far less troublesome from a manufacturing standpoint than those which'V have been used heretofore. Additionally, the' crankshaft wbenin use'has advantages which lfbelieve surface.

` and the surrounding wall in effect a rather thin film of lubricant instead of a more or less solid body of lubricant, 1n the event that there is any defect or injury Vwhich' causes the lubricant to flow entirely'out of any particular' portion of the crankshaft leaving that portion empty, there is 1n my improved construction a far less unbalancing ofthe crankshaft than would be the case if that particular portion of the crankshaft were relieved of a greater weightof lubricant. At the same time, and in spite of the factV that the lubricant is in the form of a film in the severalv axial portions ofthe crankshaft, a sufficient amount of lubricant will iiow throughv the passageway as a whole, and of course through the coniponent parts thereof to afford ample lubrication.

Having thus Ydescribed my invention, what l claim is 1. A crankshaft having an axial portion with an outer bearing surface, said portion having an inner opening. a member of less diameter than said opening inserted in the latter, forming between said member and the wall of said openingan annular lubricating passageway, and means for conducting lubricant to and from said annular passageway.

2. A. crankshaft having an axial portion provided with an outer bearing surface, and having an inner passageway extending therethrough, a member of less diameter than said passageway in the latter, the ends of said member extending outwardly and closing the annular passageway between said memberand the wall of the passageway, said crankshaft having inlet and outletyopenings connected to said annular passageway.

3. A crankshaft having an axial portion Vprovided with an outer bearing surface, and

with an inner opening, a tubular member which is of less diameter than the opening fitted in said 'opening and spaced therefrom except at its ends which extend outwardly so as to close the ends of the annular passageway between said member' and the wall of the opening, and a port extending between said annular' passageway and said bearing 4. A Crankshaft having an axial portion provided with an outer bearing surface and having an opening extending therethrough, a tubular memberof less diameter than said opening fitted in the latter. said member having its ends bentioutwardlyand.secured to said axial portion of the crankshaft at the ends of the opening therein, and a port extending between said annular passageway and said bearing surface.

5. A crankshaft having a plurality of axially extending offset ortions, each having an outer bearing surface, and each having an inner opening containing a tube of less diameter than the opening forming an annular passageway between the tube and the wall of the opening, said crankshaft having passageways connecting the several annular passageways so as to form a continuous lubricating conduit.

6. A crankshaft having a plurality of axially disposed bearing and crank pin portions, each provided with an inner axial opening, a tubular member in the opening, said member being of less diameter than the opening and having means to form an annular passageway closed at its ends, said crankshaft having openings connecting the several annular passageways and ports leading from the latter on the bearing surfaces.

7. A crankshaft having a. bearing portion, a crankpin portion and an arm connecting the bearing and crankpin portions, a lubricating passageway extending through the bearing portion, the arm and the crankpin portion 0f the crankshaft, the portion of the passageway in the arm extending diagonally therethrough and making acute angles with the portions of the passageway in the bearing and crankpin portions of the crankshaft, the extended axis 0f said portion of the passageway through the arm intersecting the inner face of the arm opposite the portion of the passageway in the bearing portion of the crankshaft.

8. A crankshaft having a bearing portion, a-crank pin portion and an arm connecting said portions, a lubricating passageway extending through the arm and the bearing and crank pin portions of the crankshaft, the portion of the passageway in the arm extending diagonally therethrough and mak- 9. A crankshaft having a bearing portion,

a crankpin portion and an arm connecting said portions, axial lubricating passageways extending through the bearing and crankpin portions, a diagonal passageway extending through the arm and connecting the two axial passageways, the axis of said diagonal passageway if extended, intersecting the inner face of the arm opposite the bearing portion, and intersecting the outer face of the arm opposite the crankpin portion whereby the passageway may be drilled through the arm hy a tool inserted through one of the side faces of the arm.

10. A crankshaft having a pair of alined portions, a pair of arms extending outwardly therefrom and a crankpin portion at the outer ends of said arms, a lubricating passageway extending through said alined portions, arms and crankpin portion of the crankshaft, the portions of the passageway extending through the arms being diagonally disposed with reference thereto and diverging outwardly so that the outer ends of said diagonal portions of the lubricating passageway are farther apart than the inner ends, the extended axes of said portions of the passageway through the arm intersecting the inner side faces of the arms opposite the alined portions and the outer side faces of the arms opposite the crankpin portion.

ln testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE w. HRPER..

Witnesses:

L. I. PORTER, A. F. Kwis. 

